Chapter 3
For the first week after she had called on Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley, Jane was in great anticipation of their visit. Her mood became far more maudlin as one week became a fortnight, and then a fortnight became three weeks.
By the middle of the third week, Jane had begun to ask herself questions, which for her were very uncomfortable ones.
Chief among them was asking herself if it could be that Lizzy had the right of it, and the sisters had never been genuine friends to her.
As hard as it was for her to have negative thoughts about anything or anyone, Jane had reviewed all of her interactions with the sisters from the time she had been invited to Netherfield Park until the call she and Aunt Maddie had made to Hurst House.
The more she considered all of the times they had been in company with her, the more Jane began to see that the way she wanted to see things was not the truth of the matter.
She still had her doubts, as the uncharitable thoughts she was having were diametrically opposed to her personal philosophy; hence, she sought her aunt’s counsel towards the end of the third week since she had made the call.
“Aunt Maddie, I need some advice,” Jane began.
“Jane, my dear, you know that if I am able to assist you, it will be my pleasure to do so,” Maddie replied. She had a good idea about what advice Jane desired. Over the previous three weeks, Maddie’s heart had broken as she watched Jane suffer in silence.
One night she had spoken to Edward about wanting to approach Jane and talk to her about the lack of value in the women who had hurt her so very intentionally.
She would not call them ladies because they were not.
Her wise husband had advised Maddie that unless Jane came to her, any interference would not have the desired effect.
Hence, when her niece approached her now, Maddie was very grateful, knowing how much mortification it must have cost her serene niece to take this step.
“What would you like to ask me?” Maddie asked gently.
“Aunt Maddie, have I been a fool? Was Lizzy the one who was correct with regards to the characters of Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley and not me? Have I been too na?ve?”
“Jane, I am more than happy to discuss this with you, but before I do, I must know if you are able to hear some things you will consider unpleasant and uncharitable? Things which are quite the opposite of the way you like to see the world and those in it?”
As much as she hated to see anything in a negative light, Jane realised that as hard as it would be to hear what Aunt Maddie may say, she had to. “I understand, Aunt Maddie; please say what you feel you need to say.”
“Although sometimes Lizzy jumps to the wrong conclusion when she makes her character sketches, I think that in this instance, she is not wrong.” Maddie paused as she allowed her words to sink in.
“Jane dear, let me ask you something. That day we went to see the sisters. After you had been here for close to a fortnight already, what was your opinion of the call and the way Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley, especially the latter, treated you?”
“Like they always had, they received us with pleasure.” Jane paused and shook her head. “No, they did not, did they?” She realised.
Maddie shook her head. “Jane, if they were your true friends, would Miss Bingley have written you that letter when she closed up Netherfield Park? A letter that had, as Lizzy opined, one purpose, which was to injure you. Would they have prevaricated about your letters not being received?”
“Surely Miss Bingley did not dissemble?” Jane had a horrified look on her face.
“Jane, you are three and twenty, soon to be four and twenty. In all of your years, how often has one letter been misdirected, never mind three of them to the same address? Although it seems that Miss Bingley is very comfortable prevaricating, Mrs Hurst is not. I was watching both of them. Miss Bingley had a slight twitch of her eye each time she obscured the truth; it was much easier to see on Mrs Hurst’s face.
In fact when Miss Bingley asked her sister to confirm her lie that none of your letters had been received, Mrs Hurst looked everywhere except at us. ”
“You are correct. Once or twice over the years someone had written the direction on a letter very ill, but the epistle eventually arrived at its intended destination. I have been a silly ninny and only saw what I wished to see.” Jane hung her head with shame.
“All of us are a little silly when we are in love. I know I was when I first met Edward.” Maddie smiled as she recalled her courtship with her beloved husband.
“Could it be that Mr Bingley still loves me? How am I to notify him I am in London? I cannot write to him.” Jane blushed as she thought of writing to an unmarried man who was not a family member.
She could see that although Jane had accepted that the supercilious sisters were not her friends, she was not yet willing to think about Mr Bingley critically.
“That is a conundrum for another time,” Maddie deflected.
As Jane had not asked her opinion of that man, Maddie did not offer it.
She did not want to overload Jane too much.
It had been a good first step to begin to show Jane the world as it was, but there was yet a long road to travel.
Only Jane could decide when it was time to take the next step.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By the time the sisters were announced at the Gardiners’ home, it was the middle of the fourth week after Jane had called on them.
Maddie did not miss that Mrs Hurst looked uncomfortable, Miss Bingley was sneering, her nose up, her silk square just under it as if there was a bad smell she was attempting to stop invading her senses. Maddie looked across at Jane and was pleased to see she still looked serene.
“Welcome, Mrs Hurst, Miss Bingley,” Maddie stated. “Let me ring for tea and refreshments.”
“Do not bother,” Miss Bingley interjected.
“We will not be here that long. As hard as it is to lower ourselves and visit the home of a tradesman, it will be the one and only time we do. Miss Bennet, I came today to carry my point and make sure you understand that we will never be at home to you if you ever dare to visit those so far above you again. My brother knows you are in London and was amused you were such a fortune hunter and social climber to pursue him to Town after, as he had requested of me, I made it clear that all connection between us was broken.”
Jane was not ready for the viciousness Miss Bingley displayed and sat with her mouth hanging open.
Unlike her niece, Maddie was not cowed. As Miss Bingley spoke, she had been watching the older sister intently. Each time Miss Bingley dissembled, it showed on Mrs Hurst’s face.
“As you are the daughter of a tradesman, I am surprised you are uncomfortable in the house of one who makes his money like your father made his. My niece is the daughter of a gentleman, something you cannot claim. As such, she is above you in society, your pretentions notwithstanding. Also, Miss Bingley, why would my niece not try and further her connection with you, someone she erroneously believed was her friend, when you specifically invited her to do so in that letter you wrote when you left Hertfordshire? I somehow doubt that your brother is aware of Miss Bennet’s presence in London or that she called on you.
Given the way Jane described him to me, I doubt he would have asked you to write a letter with the specific aim to hurt.
” Each time she accused Miss Bingley of something underhanded, her older sister’s reaction confirmed the veracity of her words.
“It is time for you two to leave, and please do not darken my doorstep again.”
As Aunt Maddie spoke, Jane watched in awe. Her aunt was doing what she was unable to do. She was speaking plainly to Miss Bingley, and when that lady’s roots had been mentioned, Jane was worried Caroline’s head was about to explode.
Miss Bingley had expected Jane Bennet to react as she had, but she had not anticipated the tradesman’s wife responding to her so forcefully and calling her out for her lies in such a direct way.
“I have never been thusly insulted,” she screeched as she stood and marched out of the room, her nose in the air.
Her sister stood and had the decency to look embarrassed when she followed her younger sister.
Aunt and niece waited until they heard the carriage begin to move before they spoke. “Miss Bingley is not nice, is she?” Jane verified.
“Not at all. She would not recognise the truth if it was a dog nipping at her heels. Did you notice that she only claimed she was insulted, not that anything I said was inaccurate?” Maddie pointed out.
“How I would love to be in that conveyance to hear what they have to say as it returns the sisters to Hurst House.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“How dare that woman speak to me in that fashion? She is even more impertinent than that hoyden, Eliza Bennet,” Miss Bingley bit out as soon as the Hurst coach began to move.
“Caroline, I hate to point this out, but nothing Mrs Gardiner said was wrong. I read the missive you sent to Miss Bennet before we vacated Netherfield Park. You did, in fact, invite her both to correspond with you and call on you if she were ever in London,” Mrs Hurst stated.
“Well, I never meant it!” Miss Bingley screeched.
“Caro, be reasonable; how was Miss Bennet to know that? You are well aware the lady believes the best in people. Like me, you also know she loves Charles but holds by the propriety of not showing her true feelings until the man speaks,” Mrs Hurst added.
“She is not for Charles! She will do nothing to raise my standing, and if I allowed Charles to marry her, then my Mr Darcy would be in contact with Eliza and her fine eyes again. I will not permit that!”